The following week at Waterloo Road had been a tough one. Michael had been avoiding Lorraine, very much like they had been last week, but this time is wasn't just personally, it was professionally. Michael had been having talks with his own accountant behind Lorraine's back—he didn't see it as a problem as it was what she had been doing since the start of term—on how he could improve the school and get out of the cuts Lorraine had and has been planning for weeks. Taking matters into his own hands, it had become Michael and Christine VS Nikki and Lorraine. As of right now, neither team was winning.

Nikki and Lorraine remained close, the talk putting a slight strain on their relationship. They had agreed to keep their distance when they were working to save themselves the looks when Michael or Christine saw them together in the corridors. Neither of them wanted to lose what they have, having to keep a low profile was difficult but they knew it was what they had to do if they wanted to stay together. Lorraine had said to Nikki before how scared she would be if anyone found out about her. She wanted to be remembered as a successful business woman.

Sitting in the staff room between classes, reading the newspaper alone, Nikki was wary as to whether Michael had been having secret meetings with her colleagues. She had noticed the likes of Audrey would stare at her over her glasses when they sat opposite each other. Especially Christine giving the brunette a dirty look whenever she entered the room, the stares would intensify.

On top of that, Barry's sly comments, Lorraine had noted, had become more serious since last week. She was use to his "compliments" but now they were now with a stern voice. He would blow warm air at her when he spoke then lick his lips, smirk, look up and down at her before walking away.

Everything about him made Lorraine uncomfortable about being at her own school. It was in those moments, she wished she could go to Nikki and talk to her, make her feel less scared but because of Michael, she had to resort to texting her girlfriend. Nikki's knuckles would turn white against the grip on her phone when she read the messages, that also adding to her own problems with those at Waterloo Road staring.

Lorraine pulled up outside Waterloo Road at lunchtime, she had just returned from a meeting in London. Being in her Ferrari alone again began to feel strange. She was used to it but over the past three months, she had a special someone sitting next to her in the passenger seat.

Getting out of her car, she was greeted by none other than Mr Barry Barry opening the door for her.

"Nice car Ms, you should take me for a ride in it sometime," he smirked. "If you know what I mean."

Ms Donnegan cringed at his choice of words but she didn't let them show. "Not today Barry," she replied in her confident, cocky manner instead. She closed her car door and locked in.

"Need help with anything, Ms?" he asked, not leaving her side. "I should be getting to class but, eh, rather be helping you out."

She shook her head, feeling uncomfortable, she picked up her pace. "Get to class Barry."

Barry's complainants that day didn't just end there. At any moment he saw her, he would wink. He had the PRU that day as well, he was full of questions, Nikki noticed, not that he wasn't already the most talkative in her class before. His interests were completely on the school newspaper, and how he couldn't wait to do to the after school class tonight.

It was after school hours. The cleaners were out, mopping up the mess caused by the students in the hallways. Barry walked quickly through the hallways, careful to avoid everyone.

Pushing the doors open to the I.T lab, he walked at a quick pace looking for someone.

Seeing Jack sat quietly at one of the laptops, working, you could hear the music blasting out of, what where supposed to be, his headphones. Barry took a short run up behind him and grabbed him by the shoulders.

"What the—" Jack pulled his headphones down, "what do you think you're doing?" he asked Barry when he looked over his shoulder.

The prankster pulled a chair out next to Jack to sit on. "I need you to help me with something, mate."

"Like what?"

"What's on this," he handed him a memory stick, "needs to go in my part of the newspaper. You think we could get it in there before class tomorrow?"

Jack wasn't one for trouble; he'd been slightly mischievous at school a few times but nothing big enough to get him past a warning. But upon seeing what came up when he clicked a file, he nodded viciously. "Of course I can."

Just gone eight on a Monday morning, Michael and Christine arrived outside Waterloo Road. With pupils running around the school entrance, the two teachers worked their way around the flying footballs and those who weren't paying attention to where they were going due to being engrossed on their phones. Telling most of them to sort their uniforms out, they finally made it up the stairs and through the doors.

The corridors were busier than usual. Groups of pupils in corners, gossiping words Michael couldn't quite make out as they quieten when he walked by them. There was a crowd hovering around the news board. It was then when Michael feared the worst. He glanced over at Christine quickly then took off on one foot over to the child who had their phone held up, ready to take a picture.

He caught the newsletter at the side of his eye. "Get to class!" he shouted. "Everyone, get to your classrooms!" Mr Byrne pointed a finger through the corridor. Once they had scattered, he ripped the piece of paper off the wall.

"Is everything okay?" the sound of heels came through the hallway. Lorraine stopped Nikki behind her then walked ahead to a furious-looking Michael. In that moment she wasn't sure whether it was because she had walked in with Nikki for the first time in weeks, it wasn't intentional. They had pulled up outside at the same time.

Lorraine could see the kids poking their heads through the glass of the doors. She feared the worst. She could also feel the warmth of Nikki's body standing behind her. She took a deep breath in. Christine hadn't said a word, her knuckles were as white as Michael's that held the crumbled up piece of paper. Lorraine took it from his grip slowly and unfolded it. She gasped along with Nikki.

Grab the next issue of the Waterloo Road newspaper, it's a good'un!

Was the headline; along with a picture of Lorraine and Nikki kissing in her classroom the other night.

OUT TODAY AT NOON

Read the bottom of the poster.

"Inform Sonya," he told Christine. "I want every single one of these out of here before they are available to the kids. You two," he looked at a worried, mortified, scared, every word for frightened in the dictionary possible, Lorraine and Nikki, "in my office now."

Dun dun dun. Man this is late... and to those who reviewed guessed this but hey, these shows are so predicable anyway, right? ;)

Final Chapter 10 will be up by the end of the day. :)